Day 1

Collect your hire car on arrival in Upington. Stop in town for lunch, and do a spot of supermarket shopping as you will be self-catering in the park. Then, drive north for about 3 hours to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park where you will stay for 1 night at Twee Rivieren. Beside the banks of the dry Nossob riverbed, this is the Kgalagadi's main restcamp – with its own shop, restaurant and pool. Explore the transfrontier park in your own 2WD vehicle; it's also possible to arrange guided walks and night drives with park rangers from here.

Days 2-3

The Kgalagadi covers roughly 38,000km² between Namibia and Botswana of Kalahari dunes veined by a few fossil river valleys. This environment is particularly well suited for cheetah – and perhaps Africa’s best park for meerkats. Take a lovely leisurely drive to the north of the park for about 6 hours game driving on the way before spending 2 nights at Grootkolk Wilderness Camp. This small, popular camp has 4 simple cabins overlooking a floodlit waterhole in the dunes. There is no restaurant here so self-catering is necessary.

Days 4-5

Often the Kgalagadi’s roads follow its riverbeds, where a string of water-holes attract herds of blue wildebeest, red hartebeest and eland. Be sure to also look out for playful meerkats, which live in large family groups, inquisitive honey badgers and sleek bat-eared foxes. Take a leisurely game drive back in a southerly direction where you will spend the next 2 nights at Kalahari Tented Camp. This unfenced camp feels very wild, and one of its highlights is a waterhole that’s perfect for close-range photo opportunities of visiting animals. There is no restaurant here so self-catering is necessary.

Day 6

Dawn is a magical time in the African bush as many animals are at their most active, especially the predators, so leave camp early for your best chances of good game sightings. Black-maned lion, cheetah, leopard and hyena are all common here, so look out for them as you drive through the park for 1 night at Kielie Krankie Wilderness Camp. This small wilderness camp has 4 cabins built on the dunes with views over a waterhole. There is no restaurant here so self-catering is necessary.

Days 7-8

Leaving the park at Twee Rivieren drive south towards Augrabies Falls National Park where you stay 2 nights at Augrabies Restcamp. The restcamp here is large, with a well-stocked shop, restaurant and three swimming pools, a petrol station and 59 en-suite self-catering chalets. This starkly beautiful semi-desert park is home to at least 46 mammal species including klipspringers, gemsbok, Hartmann’s mountain zebra and giraffe. There are also black-backed jackals, caracals, bat-eared foxes and leopards. It’s also a good park for bird watching.

Day 9

There may be time for a short walk before driving back to Upington where you will leave your hire car in good time to check in for your onward flight.

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